From the Desk of:
Eric Watt
President, RUN Ministries
January 23, 2015
Sometimes the reality of the extreme and intensifying humanitarian crisis in northern Iraq is overwhelming. RUN volunteers have rescued, renewed and restored tens of thousands of refugees from the clutches of ISIS evil, only to see these same persecuted Iraqi Christians and other religious minorites face yet another deadly threat: the cold mountain winter.
How tragic is it that many of these refugees who survived ISIS genocide, torture, rape and kidnapping could die in the coming days, weeks and months simply because they cannot keep warm? My Iraqi leadership team just sent me the urgent letter below. It illustrates just how hard life is for refugee families in the Sinjar mountain region:
Brother Eric,
Gavan and his family escaped weeks ago from ISIS terrorists. But when they came to our "Community of Hope" refugee camps, we did not have room for them. As with hundreds and hundreds of other families, we have done our best to help provide food, water and other supplies. But we have no tent or blankets for Gavin's family.
As the winter weather arrived, Gavan cut down some bushes and built a temporary one-room shelter for all nine members of his family to sleep.
Last week in the middle of the night, the cold rain started. When their eldest daughter awoke, she was feeling very cold. Without any winter blankets, she decided to build a big fire to help keep the family warm.
As the fire raged and the family began to feel its warmth, suddenly a strong wind came and flattened their shelter, injuring some of them. Then a stronger wind came and the eldest daughter, who was still tending the fire, was knocked down. Her hand and face were thrown into the flames!
Brother Eric, please pray for her. We have done our best to get her treatment for the burns on her face and hand. The family seems hopeless. But we know there is hope. When we distribute the new blankets, we will make sure that Gavin, his daughter and the rest of the family will be well cared for.
Please thank your friends for their kindness. We have rescued so many from ISIS, now we must protect them from the cold.
Gavan and his family escaped weeks ago from ISIS terrorists. But when they came to our "Community of Hope" refugee camps, we did not have room for them. As with hundreds and hundreds of other families, we have done our best to help provide food, water and other supplies. But we have no tent or blankets for Gavin's family.
As the winter weather arrived, Gavan cut down some bushes and built a temporary one-room shelter for all nine members of his family to sleep.
Last week in the middle of the night, the cold rain started. When their eldest daughter awoke, she was feeling very cold. Without any winter blankets, she decided to build a big fire to help keep the family warm.
As the fire raged and the family began to feel its warmth, suddenly a strong wind came and flattened their shelter, injuring some of them. Then a stronger wind came and the eldest daughter, who was still tending the fire, was knocked down. Her hand and face were thrown into the flames!
Brother Eric, please pray for her. We have done our best to get her treatment for the burns on her face and hand. The family seems hopeless. But we know there is hope. When we distribute the new blankets, we will make sure that Gavin, his daughter and the rest of the family will be well cared for.
Please thank your friends for their kindness. We have rescued so many from ISIS, now we must protect them from the cold.
I continue to be amazed by the efforts of RUN volunteers in northern Iraq. Their work is difficult and dangerous, yet they continue to press on in the face of many challenges because they know it saves lives.Please click here or on the icon below to support RUN Ministries' ongoing rescue and relief efforts in northern Iraq, as well as other vital outreaches, with your tax-deductible gift of any amount:
Last week, I stepped out in faith to order 16,800 blankets to help families like Gavan's. Since I announced this plan on January 14, RUN Ministries friends have donated just over 40 percent of the $250,000 needed to purchase and ship these blankets. As I explained yesterday, these crucial, lifesaving supplies should arrive in the warehouse this weekend and be available for immediate shipping to our seven refugee camps. But we can only do that if our vendor account is paid in full.
Will you please help us reach the $250,000 goal this weekend? You can make it possible for me to transfer the needed funds on Monday morning. That would get the blankets out of the warehouse immediately and into the hands of refugees who desperately need them.
Each blanket costs about $15. That means your gift of $75, $150, $300 or more will provide blankets for five, ten, twenty or more persecuted Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities. Click here to now to protect them from exposure, hypothermia, frostbite or even death!
I know that you have done so much already. But this is a truly life-threatening situation. Your additional gift today will make an eternal difference in the lives of Iraq refugees struggling to survive. Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Eric
P.S. Please remember to pray for comfort and healing for Gavan's daughter. And don't forget the thousands of other ISIS survivors also threatened by frigid temperatures in the Sinjar mountain region. Nearly 17,000 much-needed blankets are expected to arrive at our vendor's warehouse this weekend. Your help is desperately needed to raise the necessary funds to purchase and ship these lifesaving relief supplies to our seven "Community of Hope" refugee camps by Monday. Click here or on the image below to make a tax-deductible gift of any amount to support RUN Ministries' efforts to provide warmth and protection to thousands of Iraqi refugees:
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
No comments:
Post a Comment